What Ifs of Jewish History
From Abraham to Zionism

'Gavriel Rosenfeld has produced a marvellously imaginative book. While it is not 'history' in the conventional sense, it is certain to be appreciated, even treasured, by scholars and all of those deeply concerned with the fate of European Jewry.' Michael Berkowitz, University College London

'Counterfactual thinking is implicit in Jewish culture, from the grumbling of the liberated slaves about the watermelons they would have enjoyed in Egypt to the 'Dayenu' song in the Passover Seder. Entertaining and educational, What Ifs of Jewish History makes explicit the main junctures in Jewish history by imagining what would have been otherwise, including a Jewish state in Africa and a Christian state in Israel, a world without Jews and history without the Holocaust.' Aviezer Tucker, author of Our Knowledge of the Past: A Philosophy of Historiography

'So why not a counterfactual? They are essential to making causal claims, normative judgments, and identity construction. The contributors to this fascinating volume conduct a series of sophisticated and eminently plausible counterfactual experiments towards these ends. Readers will learn much about Jewish history, European and Middle Eastern history.' Ned Lebow, King's College London

'What Ifs of Jewish History as a whole earns my recommendation. Its writing is not as dense as other counterfactual tomes I have come across and its fictional entries mean that [it] is accessible to a casual historian. Go check it out and learn a thing or two about Jewish history by visiting some different Earths.' Matt Mitrovich, Amazing Stories

'Editor Gavriel Rosenfeld … makes a convincing case in his introduction that Jewish historians have, for various reasons, been largely reluctant to jump aboard the counterfactual train. This book, he contends, is the first serious counterfactual examination of Jewish history. The flavorful and abundant food for thought to be found here suggests that it's probably about time.' Chris Leppek, Intermountain Jewish News

'Given the controversial nature of counterfactuals, then, it is quite an achievement that Gavriel D. Rosenfeld has gathered fifteen scholars to contribute to What Ifs of Jewish History: From Abraham to Zionism … Some scholars will always want to know what happened, and some will always speculate. In What Ifs of Jewish History, the questions are more important than the answers. Recommended.' Elka Weber, Segula: The Jewish Journey Through History